Chad Beene
“After leaving Vegas I wanted to change my art because I had changed I wasn’t that guy living a 24/7 lifestyle in that crazy city anymore,” Chad recalls. “I have a strong faith in my God and Jesus Christ, and that faith got me through some really tough times. Without God’s hand of protection I don’t think I could have made it out of Vegas alive. After putting those days behind me I knew that if I was going to spend most of my hours painting it would have to be for more than just me or making money. So I decided to develop a series and push my art in a direction that had real value. I hope I will be successful at taking a genre that is typically chichi and folksy and breathe some life into it. It is Christian Art but in the most Modern of senses.”
Bio
Beene is a self taught artist who works in advertising and design and who has always tried to suppress his passion for becoming a fine artist. “For the longest time my art was chasing me, I have always tried to resist telling myself that I truly wanted to be an fine artist. Now I feel I am chasing my art.”
Work
Chad Beene is a new talent that appears to be on the move upward. Since returning to Texas from Las Vegas, where he had great success in the Las Vegas Centennial Art Show and at the Art Encounter, he has since shifted gears and has begun a new stage in his art. We describe three of Chad’s signature works Hank, Cash and Dream Girl below.
Hank
My passion for my subjects spills over from my personal affinity for things. I grew up in Texas and old country music definitely holds a special place in my life. Hank Williams was a dynamic man who lived a brilliant and hard twenty nine years. In this piece I tried to paint a portrait of just more than the man but his life. The stark white of Hank’s attire cast against the blackness of the background reflects his struggle with his faith and his suffering. Williams suffered from terrible back aches and was in constant pain. I hope I reflected that in his eyes and use of blue in his flesh was a reminder of his pain, physically and mentally and it also evokes his songs, country and bluesy. Hanks name is slightly crooked across the canvas another reminder of his physical mality, but Hank could also be a little crooked. You see, Hank’s second wife he stole off another musician by pulling a gun out of his guitar case and informing the man that his woman was now Hank’s Woman.
Cash
Johnny Cash was the first in this series of country stars who transcended their profession and life. Cash was done in fiery reds and oranges not just to give you a sense of his character, but to invoke lines from one of his most famous songs maybe Down, Down, Down in a Burning Ring of Fire. I love to create flat silhouettes of color much like Matisse. I can’t explain why really, but the flat silhouettes of his black hair cast against the white background creates tension but is also soothing. Cash lit up the stage with his music and I hope his fire still burns off this canvas.
Dream Girl
Dream girl is an Idea that has floated around in my head for years until I just had to get it out on canvas. The funny thing about this painting is twofold. Number one, this is an actual clipping out of the personal page, and two I started painting it after I had recently gotten married. My wife didn’t quite know if I was looking for a dream girl or where she fit into the picture. I put her mind at ease and explained I was not shopping for her replacement just purging my mind of a painting that had be chasing me for some time.
